Sicilia

We arrived in Palermo at 1am this morning and have just enjoyed our first day in Sicilia. The city is wonderful; old, warm, scuffed, and colorful like no other place we've been. The streets are narrow and noisy, the sidewalks and bars are crowded, and everything is a magical mixture of Greek and Arab-influenced architecture against a dramatic backdrop of green mountains falling directly into the ocean, leaving just enough room between them for a cheerily busy city. Today we walked through the biggest street market we've ever seen, complete with leather boots, massive cross-sectioned swordfish, fresh canolis, and table after table of firecrackers. These endearing toys go off, without exaggeration, about once every five minutes throughout the city, bringing to mind mafioso shootouts that could just as easily be happening down the next block.

In short, every aspect of what it means to be "Italian" thrives and jostles around every corner in this city, but with such a relaxed small-community feeling that it is much more enjoyable and memorable (not to say amusing) than anywhere else. It is as if one day thousands of years ago, everything that makes "the Boot" Italian hopped lightly across the water and squeezed onto the tiny island of Sicilia, leaving behind only that charming Roman vanity (apparently couldn't jump in stilettos), and has remained there ever since, joyfully condensed and crowded and blissfully unaware of the existence of any other way of life.

We had delicious pizza for dinner and are back at our lovely hotel for the night, eagerly awaiting tomorrow's New Year's Eve festivities. Thank you again Pete and Drew for the accomodations!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry